Naruto: A Shinobi’s Burden

A man was standing outside my house, apparently a shinobi, judging by his headband and jacket—at least a Chūnin.

However, there was something strange about him. The man had a sad face, droopy eyes, and a slightly furrowed mouth.

He was also carrying what looked like two jackets identical to the one he was wearing, along with two headbands bearing the symbol of Konoha.

"Hello, Akuma," the man said in a somber tone.

"This might be hard to process, but…"

The man paused for a moment as if carefully choosing his next words before continuing.

"Your parents died on a mission. They were heroes. They protected their comrades and ensured the success of the operation, even at the cost of their own lives. They knew the risks but never hesitated. That's what it means to be a shinobi of Konoha. It's not just about strength or skill—it's about the will to protect those you love, to give everything for the village and for the future of the generations to come. That is the Will of Fire."

He paused again, looking at me intently. Carefully, he extended the two jackets and headbands toward me. The symbols of Konoha gleamed under the light, stained with dirt and wear.

I was stunned for a moment before instinctively reaching out and accepting the jackets and headbands.

The man looked at me with a defeated expression before gently patting my head.

"I'm Haruto, a friend of your parents. If you have any problems, you can come to me."

He handed me a piece of paper with a name and address written on it.

"I… I'm sorry, Akuma," the man said before turning around and walking away.

I didn't snap out of my daze until the man had completely disappeared from sight.

I closed the door and headed to the living room, placing the jackets and headbands on the table and setting the piece of paper beside them.

After staring at the jackets for a while, I put on an ironic smile.

"I barely knew them, and now they're gone," I sighed.

Shaking my head slightly, I couldn't help but reflect on everything that had just happened in less than an hour.

I transmigrated, became a child, "met" my "parents," only to find out moments later that they were actually dead.

To be honest, I didn't feel anything. After all, I never really knew them, and in my previous life, I already had parents. Even if they had lived, I might never have recognized them as my true parents.

As harsh as it sounds, their death is actually somewhat beneficial to me. Having two trained shinobi, experts in deception and killing, in the house daily would have been a great way to get discovered.

I didn't want to wake up in a dungeon with a Yamanaka touching my head, trying to suck out all the memories from my brain.

I shuddered slightly at the thought.

I couldn't be discovered. I hoped the previous owner of this body didn't have any close friends who might notice a difference and become suspicious.

I got up from the couch and headed toward the front door.

After all, despite the death of my "parents," I still needed to go out and gather information.

Once outside, I began wandering through the village.

There wasn't much to say about it—it did seem like just a village.

People came and went, laughing, gossiping, selling, and playing.

Aside from being lively, there wasn't much to remark on. Given the time period, most of the houses and buildings didn't exceed two floors, and the architecture seemed somewhat crude but sturdy.

After looking around for a while, I approached a vendor who was haggling with a woman over some fruits.

"80 ryo, and I can't go any lower."

Looking slightly annoyed, the woman reluctantly pulled out her purse and handed over 80 ryo.

The vendor flashed a big smile before handing her a bag with some apples.

"Thank you for your purchase. Come back soon!"

The woman grabbed the bag, somewhat grumpily, muttering something under her breath before turning around and leaving.

Seizing the moment, I approached the vendor, who still had a big smile.

I ducked under his stall and looked up at him with a curious expression.

Once he noticed me, the vendor gave me a curious look before smiling slightly and speaking.

"What's up, kid? Want some fruit?"

I shook my head and opened my mouth to speak.

"Oji-san, I have a question. Who's the greatest hero in the village?"

The vendor, somewhat surprised by the question, thought for a moment before smiling at me and answering.

"The greatest hero in the village, huh? Maybe one of the Hokage. But right now, I'd say the three legendary Sannins are the greatest heroes in the village."

My eyes sparkled for a moment before I smiled at him and continued asking.

"But Oji-san, only one of them can be the greatest hero, right?"

I pouted slightly, looking directly into the vendor's eyes.

The vendor, perhaps a bit flustered by my gaze, gave me a light pat on the head before smiling and chuckling softly.

"Of course not. All three of them can be the greatest heroes in the village."

"But Oji-san, what did they do to be the greatest?" I pressed, taking advantage of the moment.

The vendor paused for a moment.

"The three Sannin, through their combined efforts, brought an end to the last war," the vendor finished, sounding slightly exasperated by the incessant questions from the child. He gave me another pat on the head and straightened up behind the stall.

"Well, kid, enough questions. Are you going to buy some fruit or what?"

"Ah! No, Oji-san, but thank you for answering!" I gave him a playful look before running off.

The vendor shook his head, amused by the child's cheekiness, before returning to his business.

"Buy fruits at a good price!"

Moving away from the vendor, I returned home and lay down on the couch, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Haaa, acting like a kid is so exhausting," I muttered under my breath.

Although it was somewhat frustrating to act like a curious child, I had gathered some valuable information.

Firstly, I'm between the Second and Third Great Shinobi Wars because the vendor referred to Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade as "The Sannins" a title given to them by Hanzo the Salamander during the Second War.

This was confirmed when the vendor talked about how the three of them together brought an end to the war.

So, I could be in the generation of Minato or Kakashi. If it's right after the Second War, I'm in Minato's generation; if it's a few years before the Third War, then I'm in Kakashi's generation. (The timeline and ages are a bit messy in Naruto, and I'm too lazy to research too deeply, so take any divergences in ages and events as an AU.)

Although I'd bet I'm at the end of the Second War, which is both the best and worst scenario. On one hand, I have more time to prepare, but on the other, there's a war not too far off.

Thinking about this, I felt a headache coming on.

"I'll think about all this tomorrow," I said quietly as I watched the sky darken through the living room window.

After all, it's not good to have these headaches at such a young age.

A lot has happened in quick succession today. I'm more mentally exhausted than physically tired—so many things to think about and plan for.

Holding my head, I went upstairs to my room before practically collapsing onto the bed. I pulled up a blanket and closed my eyes.

After a moment, the sound of steady breathing filled the room.